The author of a novel on which the Oscar-tipped western The Revenant is based is unable to discuss the film due to his job with the US federal government, it has emerged.

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Michael Punke’s The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge, inspired by the story of 19th-century frontiersman Hugh Glass, was published in 2002. Punke is prevented from talking about Alejandro González Iñárritu’s movie adaptation because he works as an ambassador to the World Trade Organisation.

Punke was also unable to attend the film’s world premiere in Los Angeles on 16 December due to federal ethics rules, according to the Washington Post. According to the Post, Punke is legally prevented from talking about any side project that might benefit him while he is employed in his current job. In any case, he was reportedly in Nairobi, Kenya, to complete a $1.3 trillion international trade agreement focused on IT products.

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The newspaper suggests the writer and ambassador would be keen to get involved in promoting The Revenant were it not for his day job. “Oh, he wishes he could talk about it,” the author’s brother Tim told the Post. “Can you imagine having your book turned into a movie, having Leonardo DiCaprio in it?”

The Revenant had a limited release in US cinemas on Christmas Day. DiCaprio is expected to join the race for the best actor Oscar for his role as 19th-century fur trapper and guide Hugh Glass. In the $135m (£90.5m) movie, as in real life, Glass was left for dead after being attacked by a grizzly bear.